The Perfect Gift
by Hannaadi88
Summary: A Frenchman, Albino and a Spaniard are stuck without dates on Christmas Eve. How will they decide to spend it? Christmas 2010- Bad Touch Trio style! /Dedicated to Caty-Cross/


_The Perfect Gift_

_Dedicated to Caty-Cross_

_-X-_

Nothing. No sound at all. On a night that was usually full of merry-making, jubilant drinking and loving sentiments- Christmas eve- Francis found himself very much…alone. Any other year, he'd be busy pouring drinks for friends and family, perhaps sneaking away from the party with his _petit lapin_. But this year, however, things were different.

The house was dark, with only the reading lamp next to his couch providing any sort of light. The flipping of pages, the dull tick of his kitchen clock and the gentle (at times thundering) pit patter of rain on his window were the only sounds, really. Francis sighed into the silence.

How had this happened? How did he, the personification of France, end up spending this magical night alone? Well…

First, there was Arthur. The Frenchman had made plans with him to meet that night at the Englishman's place. Due to his previous engagement, he had declined all party invitations and didn't even bother decorating his own home. But, a couple of hours before he was supposed to go to Arthur's house, Francis ad gotten a call from him. He said something about being sorry, but he couldn't make the date. Something prior had 'popped up'.

The Frenchman suspected it had something to do with a certain American, but he let it go. It didn't really matter- it wasn't like he was one to reprimand another for not remaining constant. As long as he came back to him in the end, it was okay, right? Nevertheless, that call had left Francis a tad bitter. After all, it wasn't like he had made any other plans.

And his friends?

The two of them were preoccupied with their own affairs, now of late. The last time they had met was… well, Francis couldn't rightly remember. It seemed that everyone simply led his own life without bothering the others. Antonio was probably spending the night with his boyfriend, Romano, while Gilbert always devoted Christmas to his brother. Whenever the Spaniard and Frenchman joked about him being a 'family guy', he always blushed and mumbled something about tradition. To be quite honest, Francis wasn't so keen on finding out what sort of tradition it really was.

So there he was, flipping through a boring romance, not sure what to do with the rest of the night. He could always drop in on some party- he was a natural guest. Even as a complete stranger, he could simply walk in and blend perfectly. Practically guaranteed a lay for the night, with his charm.

But that was not what he wanted that night. The Frenchman respected the occasion- holy night and all. It had some special feeling to it that would be ruined if he experienced any carnal, meaningless pleasure. It was a night of true love, based on emotions only. He couldn't very well spend the night with a sluttish anonymous, much the less alone.

But all signs were pointing to such a situation exactly. Loneliness. A companion Francis was quite used to, but despised immensely.

Sighing, the Frenchman shifted in his chair, eyes darting over the words in a dull sort of trance, not registering their meaning. It seemed that the night was to be doomed, so he might as well make the best of it. Perhaps he could pay Roderich a call-

_Knock knock. _"Do you think he's home?" "Totally." "But his lights aren't even on!" "Never mind- I can sense him." "You what?" "Sense him. My awesome-ness enables me to sense other people." "…Okay, you have officially freaked me out. Just knock again, _por el amor__de__dios._" "Fine, whatever." _Knock knock._

Francis practically jumped in his seat, startled by the sudden noise. But the moment he heard the terribly disguised whispers, a grin curved his lips as he chuckled softly and stood up to open the door. Trust Antonio and Gilbert to save the day with their craziness when things took a turn for the worst. He never should have doubted them.

Opening the door, the Frenchman licked his lips and leaned on the door-frame. The Spaniard was standing in back, his tan face pink from the cold and wearing too many garments than what he was used to, the poor thing. Gilbert, on the other hand, wore practically nothing- a thin sweater with the words 'Merry X-Mas' crocheted on the front in white- and a smirk. The sight of the two of them dissolved all 'un-awesome' feelings (as Gilbert would have put it) immediately.

"_Bonsoir, mes amis_." Francis greeted them, as formal as ever. He leaned forward to embrace Gilbert the French way- a kiss on each cheek. The other caught him in mid-act and shifted in a way that Francis pressed his lips against his own mouth by mistake, instead of the skin next to it. Glaring playfully at the smirking Albino, Francis pushed him aside and approached Antonio, taking no chances and hugging him instead. The hug seemed to last longer than he expected, though, but figured that the long absence had made the heart grow fonder, or something like that.

After greeting each other, the two brushed by him casually, assuming that the house would be a warm heaven compared to the outside. But the Frenchman hadn't even bothered to turn on the heat, and had completely forgotten the cold until his friends cared to remind him of it. Shivering, he quickly closed the door and rushed down the stairs to turn the heat on. By the time he got back up, all the lights were on and his friends were nestled comfortably on the couch, conversing in hushed tones.

The moment they saw Francis, though, the stopped. He raised a brow at them curiously as he seated himself across them, bringing a chair from the kitchen with him. "Well, as much as I'm happy you're here… _Porquoi_?" The cheerful faces faltered somewhat at his question, though they quickly recovered their usual cheerfulness.

Antonio grinned happily. "Just dropping by, Francisco. Thought you'd enjoy some company, you old maid." The Frenchman scowled while the other two snickered at the image. "Yeah, just worried you didn't have a date or anything, since you've grown so old, Franny." Added the Albino with a chortle.

To that, Francis simply shrugged. "Speak for yourself, Gil. And if I didn't know better, I'd say that the two of you were simply dumped and had nothing better to do but come see me."

He had expected a quick denial and a humored retort, but he received neither. Instead, they both bit their lips and stared darkly at the floor. The Frenchman blinked, not sure what to make of it. "You mean that… you actually got dumped? You?" He looked accusingly at each one, in mild shock.

Gilbert was the first one to revive. "O-of course not! Someone as awesome as I would never get _dumped. _I simply, well…" He paused, only to huff and quickly admit to the crime. "Fine. Lud didn't want to spend the night with me- oh, get a grip Francis- and instead he wanted to spend it with that ditzy crush of his. Feliciano, could you believe it? He chose Feleciano over his own older brother! And to say that it was for tightening international bonds-"

Antonio, who had built up his own frustration during the other's short speech, cut him off. "At least he is covering up for it! Lovi didn't even…Lovi…" He broke off, tears chocking him and burning his throat. The other two looked nervously at each other and hurried to the Spaniard, placing a hesitant hand on each shoulder and urging him on. "-For Matthew. He left me for some Matthew. Can you believe it? And I-I don't even know the guy-"

Francis and Gilbert nodded sympathetically, awkward silence filling the space around them. Antonio was always the cheery one- they weren't sure how exactly to help him or make him feel better. Deciding that he should take charge (after all, he was the host), Francis pulled closer and whispered into the other's ear. "You still have us, _mon ami_. Do we count for nothing?" Gilbert, on cue, leaned in from the other side and whispered seductively in Antonio's ear as well. "_Ja,_ 'Tonio. We'll never dump you or anything."

The Spaniard smiled slightly, wiping the tears away with a shaking hand. "I know, I know, but still…" Uncomfortable, he turned to Francis. "And what about you? Since when do you spend this night alone, _amigo_?" He tried to revert the focus back to the Frenchman. Said man laughed nervously, cheeks reddening slightly. "I fear another's company was favored over my own." The other two nodded in understanding, knowing that beyond the fancy words, Francis was plainly left by whomever he was seeing at the moment. Unlikely, but possible.

"So, all in all… We are a bunch of losers, aren't we?" Gilbert came to the conclusion, sharing it with his friends in a mournful tone. It was quite surprising, though, as the Albino never thought of himself less than superior to the rest of the world. Francis, never keen on being called a loser, brushed the statement away with a careless flick of the hand. "Nonsense. The problem isn't with us- obviously, anyone to have rejected one of the BTT has some serious issues."

Perhaps it was the mentioning of their old group, the Bad Touch Trio, or maybe it was the denial that something was wrong with them, that earned the Frenchman two eager smiles. Joining in, he flashed his own feline-grin. "Besides," he continued, "we don't need anyone else to make or ruin our days. We'll have a special night together, just the three of us!"

Gilbert warmed up to the idea at once. "Yeah, that's an awesome idea, Franny! Your bed is pretty big, right-?" His question earned him a humored look from the others and a playful hit on the head, courtesy of Antonio. "We'll have none of that, Gil. I think Francis was thinking more about an activity that wouldn't involve taking off his pants, didn't you, Francisco?"

The Frenchman chuckled, nodding his head. "_Oui_, I was thinking of something tamer. Then again, if the both of you are up for it…" It was Gilbert's turn to smirk. "Y'see, 'Tonio? Even Francis agrees. I can understand if you don't feel like topping right now…" The Spaniard faked a scandalized look, green eyes widening.

"Bottom? _Me? _How can you even imagine it? If anyone is to bottom, that would be Francis." He nodded his head towards the Frenchman, pouting. Francis scowled at him, sticking out his tongue in turn at Gilbert who burst out laughing. "It's true, Franny! If anyone is feminine, it's you~"

Scowl turning into a seductive smile, Francis approached Gilbert slowly, swaying his hips tantalizingly. He placed his arms lightly around the Albino's neck and breathed hotly on his ear. "What were you saying, _mon cher_?" Said man blushed slightly and broke away from the other's embrace, mumbling under his breath and looking away. The other two laughed out loud and settled back down on the couch, discussing various ideas they could use to mark the night. Gilbert eventually joined them, good mood returning.

"Well, isn't it obvious? First and foremost, we gotta have a tree!" He proclaimed, plopping down on the couch between the other two. He waved towards the carpet in the middle of the room. "Right there! It'll be perfect!"

Antonio and Francis looked one at the other, exchanging a doubtful look. "And where, _mon ami_, will we get this tree? It's too cold to go out, and no one in their right mind delivers in this weather." He folded his arms, avoiding Gilbert's eyes. "Besides…we don't really need a tree." The Spaniard nodded, agreeing quickly. If they didn't get the idea out of Gilbert's head, they'd be out in the snow, scavenging for trees.

Francis never really valued the tree, and it wasn't such a main factor in Christmas celebration for Antonio either. The Frenchman didn't even have the Yule log anymore- a simple cake in the round shape of the log took the place of the real one over the years. In short, any form of trees was not really present in his celebration.

Inwardly, the Albino felt the disappointment keenly. Decorating the tree on Christmas Eve was one of his favorite traditions, one that he enjoyed doing with his _bruder_. Well, it was Ludwig who actually did the decorating, but nonetheless…

"A Christmas tree is an awesome thing, and we are gonna have one." He informed his friends firmly, looking around. A plastic plant in the hallway caught his eye, and with a grin went to fetch it. Placing the green object in the middle of the room, he stood in back of it proudly and gestured downwards to it. "This, my friends, is our tree."

Silence. Moments later, a snort and a pat on the back. "_Moi bien_, Gilbert. Kudos for the creativity." Antonio nodded as he spoke, suppressing a laugh. Francis, on the other hand, looked thoughtful and tapped his chin in a considering manner. "Tell you what. I still have some decorations from last year's party. Perhaps…" And without a further word, he left the room and headed down the stairs. He returned a couple of minutes later, carrying a dusty box full to the brim with decorations. Excitement buzzing through the air, the other two crowded around him as he placed the box down next to the plant.

"Brilliant, Francis! Now, how about you start decorating?" Gilbert offered, sitting back on the couch. Taken aback somewhat, the Frenchman frowned. "Aren't you going to help, Gil?"

The Albino shook his head. "At my place, it's the woman's job to decorate the tree while the guy is out of the room distracting the kids. Antonio and I'll be outside while you do it. How does that sound?"

Huffing, Francis folded his arms across his chest. "Well, this is _my _place, and I say that you help. In fact, I'm going to go cook some dinner since I'm the _woman_, apparently, and you and Antonio will do it all." Pursing his lips, he left the room, and they could hear the pots and pans clang in the kitchen.

Gilbert was going to complain, but when he heard that Francis would be doing the cooking, he grinned and dropped it. Digging through the box, he came up with a silver bell and handed it to Antonio, who had looked confused during the whole exchange. "C'mon! If we're good, he might not poison us!" Chuckling, the Spaniard took the bell and tied it carefully to one of the only branches.

After a good meal of _Foi Gras_, _Kartoffelsala _with_ weiners _and _Roscón de Reyes_ for desert, compliments of Francis (with none of the courses being poisoned, coincidentally), the trio sat down cuddled on the couch, gazing at the fire burning in the grate, the Christmas-Plant standing proudly and heavily decorated beside it. Antonio had managed to stick a golden star on the top somehow, though it looked like it was going to fall at any given moment.

"Well," Antonio began quietly, snuggling in between the other two, "that wasn't too bad, was it?" His friends grunted in consent, not finding it compulsory to speak. It was quiet after that, each one lost in his own thoughts. Finally, Francis sobered. "But what about the presents? We completely forgot about them!"

Without hesitating, Gilbert stiffened somewhat beside the Spaniard. "We've got each other, and that's the most important thing, _nien_?

Smiling softly, the trio shifted even closer one to the other, sighing contently. Midnight found the three of them fast asleep, Antonio's head placed on the Frenchman's lap and Francis's own head leaning against Gilbert's shoulder.

True friendship, the best gift of all.

* * *

_Hanna Chan's Blah-Blah Corner;_

_KATIE! MERRY CHRISTMAS! 333 I-I hope this goes by your prompt... I just had too much fun writing this XDDD I might have gone off topic, perhaps._

_But this was a bit hard, writing for three PVs at the same time. I'm not sure I like how it came out, but it was really nice in my head T^T' So... Like it please, for my sake? OTL_

_In any case, BTT FTW! 8D I was so glad when you requested them. Oh, sorry if you don't like my interpretation of their relationship. There is some sexual tention in there, in my opinion, but so obvious that they just give into it on occasion... does that even make sense? ._.'_

_Anyway, once again, merry Christmas. I hope you enjoyed this, and that you'll have an awesome day. Please, be happy? _

_-Hanna_


End file.
